As organic grocer Whole Foods Market has turned cautious on its expansion plans, questions have arisen about the progress of the anticipated new anchor for the Exton Mall.

No official update is flowing from Whole Foods, though mall developer Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust isn’t concerned yet, according to a Philadelphia Business Journal report by Natalie Kostelni.

“We have a fully executed lease with Whole Foods and have completed our construction,” PREIT announced. “Our expectation is that they’ll open late 2017 or early 2018. The 55,000-square-foot space will be an in-demand addition to the property — meeting the diverse needs of local consumers and driving increased shopper traffic to the mall.”

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Whole Foods is slated to take the spot of former anchor Kmart.

The uncertainty in Exton isn’t isolated, either. There’s a delay for the new Whole Foods in Newtown Square, too, and Founder and CEO John Mackey told investors after the first quarter that new store openings would slow down.

“We remain optimistic about the future growth potential for our 365 format, but want to see how this next round of stores performs before getting more aggressive,” he said.

Read more about Whole Foods at the Exton Mall in the Philadelphia Business Journal here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage here.

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